Beau's Favorite Smoothie

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Raise your hand if you have a picky eater...  I'll raise both of mine because I have TWO!  

Luckily, my little guy (Beau) is a smoothie lover. After sharing his love for them on Instagram, some of you asked if we have a favorite recipe.  Before I had kids, I would've found that to be pretty funny... aren't smoothies just a bunch of random fruit tossed in a blender?!

For those of you who may be as blind to this as I once was --  smoothies aren't the easiest thing to make.

Several factors come into play when it comes to making a smoothie that actually tastes good (especially for a picky eater). I know with my kiddos, any combination of the wrong flavors, textures, or ingredients lead to a bunch of wasted groceries.  So, through a ton of trial-and-error, we've found that this one works for us and has quickly become "Beau's Favorite Smoothie".


INGREDIENTS:

- 2 Frozen bananas

- 1/2 a bag of frozen strawberries

- 1/2 a bag of frozen blueberries

- A hefty spoon-full of peanut butter

- Almond milk


PRO TIPS:

  • I pretty much eyeball the milk (we're dairy free in the Siron house), but liquid is important. Start with a cup and add more if your smoothie looks too thick.  You can also add a little water, but don't leave out the almond milk.  It gives the smoothie a creaminess that we love!

 

  • When bananas or other fruits start to go bad, just chop them into pieces, toss them in a freezer bag, and toss 'em in the freezer for smoothies.

 

  • I often buy my frozen fruit from dollar tree- yes, you read that correctly.  So when I say "a bag," I'm talking about their normal,  12 oz bag... can't beat it for $1.00!

Toss it all in your blender and blend until it's a smooth and creamy consistency! That's it.  Really.  Easy, right?!

Frozen fruit is the key to success. If you're ever looking to sneak some veggies in the mix, I think it's best to steam them first then refreeze before throwing them in your smoothies.

I hope you guys enjoy Beau's Favorite Smoothie as much as Beau does! Let me know if you give it a try, and be sure to share some of your favorites as well.

xo,

Chasity

 

Living For Saturdays

Recently, my husband (Jon) made some big changes in his career.

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My husband "working"

Always the entertainer, Jon's a fun-loving guy who puts his whole heart into everything he does.  Here he is creating some new flavors and sporting some "new hair" at his old job.

Those of you who know us in real life probably thought Jon’s former job was a perfect fit with his fun loving personality.  He got to be creative in the culinary field in a way that he’d never been able to before, and worked with a company that’s pretty well-loved in our community.  For us, though, the biggest issue was scheduling and his free time.

At this point in our lives, we’re reminded constantly that our kiddos won't stay little forever. Time has become a hot commodity for us and, unfortunately, my husband's old job kept him on the road often while also working nearly every weekend. The long hours and extra pressure meant his stress level was through the roof, so even when he was home, he couldn’t let loose and be the fun-loving husband and father we all knew he was.

About a month ago, after tons of prayer, he switched to a more family friendly position with a new company.  With weekends off and more time to spend with the family, this leaves the Sirons living for Saturday.

With our new-found Saturdays free to venture out as a family, we often find it hard to choose what we want to do. Last Saturday while trying to plan the day, my daughter suggested a "Summertime Saturday Jar." Her suggestion was that we fill a jar with little slips of paper that give fun and simple ideas for activities we can do together as a family each Saturday. Isn’t she so smart?! 

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If you’re anything like us, choosing an activity (or god forbid -- a place to eat) can be the biggest struggle…

I don’t know how little Paisleigh thought of it, but she’s really come up with the solution to all of our problems.  This jar idea could potentially save marriages across the globe. I mean, my husband is rarely more frustrated with me than when I refuse to pick a place to eat. So, technically, you could have a dining jar too! Indecisive people, unite!

When putting this together, and when making a selection, make sure to include your children.  Kids will LOVE reaching in the jar on Saturday morning to see what the day holds.

Also, keep your entertainment budget in mind.  The jar  definitely doesn't have to be filled with costly trips and activities.  Actually, the ideas that my daughter wanted to stick in our jar were the cheapest ones that any of us came up with. 

For our jar, we simply jotted the ideas down on strips of paper and tossed them in.  Give the jar a good shake, and you’re ready for Saturday! 

Here are some of our ideas – note that a lot of these are specific to where we live in the Ozarks of Missouri.  You may need to do some research to see what’s fun and popular near you.

-Get Snow Cones

-Daytrip to Bentonville

-Wonders of Wildlife Museum 

-Go to the movies

-Sonic Happy Hour and Thrift Stores

-Water Park

-Go to Grandma's House

-Mini Golf

-Silver Dollar City (Theme Park Day)

-Garage Sales 

-Donuts and Drive-In Movies

-Staycation (Set a rule on how far you’ll go – book a hotel, and it suddenly becomes “special.”)

-Orange Leaf / Frozen Yogurt

-Go to the Park

-Water Balloon Fight

-Try Bubble Tea

-DIY Slime day

-Discovery Center

-Skyzone Trampoline Park

-Incredible Pizza

-Try a New Restaurant

One thing we learned afterwards was that we should have categorized our ideas and used different slips of paper for different activities.  It might be helpful on a rainy Saturday to know that you should pull out a BLUE slip for indoor activities, or a PINK slip for free things on weeks when money is tight. 

I fully plan on using the jar as a form or discipline as well. If our kids don't have a helpful heart and a great attitude throughout the week, they don't get to pull an activity on Saturday.

Try making a new jar for each season. Not only is the jar encouraging good behavior, but it also gives the chance to interact with my kids in a new way.

I hope that you guys can find a way to incorporate something similar in your own house this summer. Do you have ideas that we should toss in our jar? Send them my way! 

xo,

- CHASITY

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Living For Saturdays

What can you do with a weekend to bring your family closer together?

"Summer of Siron Travel" - Bentonville

You guys.

I can't get over how great things are in Bentonville, Arkansas.

I'm always looking for a fun day trip (especially in the summer) that takes us away -- but not too far. Sometimes, we just want a change of scenery that thrills the kids and keeps our budget in check. I found all of that and SO much more in a sweet little town called Bentonville.

I bet some of my Arkansas followers are shaking their heads at my new found love of their pretty state. I've already had a few of you Natural State folks message me and say, "I can't believe you didn't realize how awesome we are."

Well, this weekend we took our SECOND day trip to Bentonville and it solidified my new found love.

The first time I went was with my sister and the kids. This past weekend when I went, I took my husband, Jon.  He was actually the one who originally put a little bug in my ear about discovering Bentonville.  He used to travel there pretty often for work, and would always say how clean and nice it seemed.

He was right.

It's a pretty, clean, and neat city filled with history and helpful people. Truly, one of the things I love most about my experiences in Arkansas are the people. Everyone is always holding doors, happy to answer questions about local restaurants, and it seems diverse so there's a little something for everyone. 

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Did you guys know that Bentonville is the Home of Wal-Mart?

There's a Wal-Mart on EVERY corner it seems when you visit. In fact, the first Walmart ever is still on the square! Its vintage red and white exterior is hard to miss, and you won't want to!

Stop by and grab a fun family photo (#walmartrun) and show your kids how small businesses can become big ones. 

Beyond all of the Wal-Mart vibes you'll get when you're visiting, there are two main attractions that we like to visit. Let me break them down for you...

 

THE SCOTT FAMILY AMAZEUM: 

This place is so cool. It's a constant flow and mix of science experiments, activities, physical challenges, you name it! Both of my kids (ages almost 7 and 20 months) really enjoy it. You'll love it as much as they do. From the time you walk in the front door you're immersed in educational interactive fun. Science, history, water elements, and even a little nod to Wal-mart will leave you wanting more. It's truly the perfect place for those hot summer days when you're not at the pool but need to get the kids out of the house. They even have an outdoor play area that's completely fenced (love that because I'm a toddler mom) tons of places to sit and watch your kids play, and fun man made streams that you can stick your feet in while you're hanging out during those hot summer months. I love how they have a couple of dedicated play areas inside for kids under 2 that are gated so you're not spending your whole day chasing a toddler around the facility. Those Arkansas folks aren't playing around when it comes to museums. Now let's talk about how much it's going to cost you to have ALL of this fun. 

-If you go to the Amazeum with a family of four it will be around 38.00 if you're not members. It could be worse, but you guys know I'm a total cheapskate. 

-If you go directly to the Amazeum and purchase a family membership for a family of 4 it will give you unlimited access for a family of 4 for 95.00 annually. Honestly, if you plan on visiting a few times, particularly if you're in Arkansas this will definitely save you money, but i'm cheap so here's how you get around all of that and take your entire family of four for less. 

- The Amazeum and other discovery centers that are affiliated with the ASTC consider a membership at any of their facilities across the country a membership. So, the smartest thing to do if you're in my area is the find the cheapest ASTC discovery center and become a member. That membership will then get me into any ASTC center that I want for free. So, in my case the cheapest membership is at the Springfield, MO Discovery center (we go there often and it's fun too - https://www.discoverycenter.org), but because I have that membership, when I go to the Amazeum we pay nothing. And for a family of four to become members for a year it's only 75.00 dollars. You'd be paying that in around two trips and now you can go as often as you'd like! 

-Once you're a member grab a list of other ASTC museums (typically offered at the front desk) and always check to see if there's a new one to discover when you travel. It's FREE , so why not get the most out of your membership. 

Buying the membership is a particularly great option as a family Christmas gift, birthday gift, or if you've decided not the take a major vacation this year you might consider a membership as a fun summer treat. It's totally worth it. 

Beyond the kids museum, Bentonville is home to one of the neatest art museums around. 

http://www.amazeum.org/

 

CRYSTAL BRIDGES ART MUSEUM: 

You want to know what the coolest part of Crystal Bridges is? It's free. Yep. You can take your entire extended family, have a super relaxing artsy fartsy experience and it's free. This museum is a monster and filled with so much to see. Like I said, general admission is free which means the art that is on display year-round you'll have access to. If you'd like to check out a special exhibit you can do that for a small fee. Trust me, there's plenty to see without paying. You can walk around outside on the beautiful well manicured grounds, check out the home of Frank Lloyd Wright (more fun history for yourself and the kids) and see all of the fun glass architecture that gives the museum its name. There's water, there's a gorgeous restaurant serving one of my favorite kinds of coffee, and there's a kids' art studio where you can sit down and create your own pieces of art together. It's great and did I mention it's free?

Another fantastic thing about both of these places is the distance between them. They're side by side! So, once you finish up at the kids museum crystal bridges is right next door!  I'll link websites to all of these places at the end of this post. 

OK, so for us a day out means a new restaurant (unless there's a Cheesecake Factory around...) Bentonville is filled with so many places I'm excited to try but for now we can't stop eating at our new favorite. On my first trip I grabbed a lady who looked like a local and asked her to give me the low down on good eats in town and boy did she. 

https://crystalbridges.org/

 

TUSK & TROTTER: 

The sweet lady who told me about this place had me at "they have bacon ice cream" not because I love bacon, but because I love risk taking and trying new things so I knew we had to go. I'm still thinking about it... right now.. and drooling... and I ate there for the second time yesterday... We started our meal with a 5.00 appetizer they call Salt and Vinegar chips. I wish you could taste them. with me. right now. They come with homemade sour cream and onion dip and honestly it's the best thing. I will spend my life trying to figure out how to make the whole situation and let's pray I don't figure it out because eating that regularly is the LAST thing my diet needs right. But if you go, you gotta get em'. When I told my daughter when we were going back to Bentonville the first thing she asked was can we eat at the same place we ate last time... the kids menu ROCKS. The chicken strips (hand breaded to perfection), salt and pepper fries, even the fruit cup is good (it's the good stuff, not the crappy fruit no one wants). You guys know what I'm talking about. The first time I went I tried "The Big Cheesy" it's a meat free option and it's good, I thought it was great until I tried my sister's sandwich. HANDS DOWN if you go you MUST order the Chicken Club. Fried. End of story. They make their own sweet pickles. all of the flavors and textures are just so darn good. The prices aren't bad the service is great the food is phenomenal. Oh, and I did try the dessert with the bacon ice cream. You should too. 

I hope this is helpful and as always feel free to comment with suggestions on other places we should try! You can leave questions in the comments as well. 

Be looking for a post on a fun way we're choosing our summer Saturday activities and please keep in mind that kids are simple. If you're feeling like doing something special with your kids this summer is out of reach please know that you don't need a membership somewhere to create something special for them. In the end, all our kids want is for us as parents to make them a priority. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming post that will create memories that are just as precious right in your own neighborhood. 

http://www.tuskandtrotter.com/

 

Do you have any other spots you'd recommend?  Send them my way - we'd love more options.  

xo,

Chasity

Dollar Tree Must-Haves for Cricut Users

I get TONS of questions about the cheapest places to buy crafting supplies.

It's always good to shop around, but when it comes to buying mugs, wine glasses, and other drinkware for crafting, Dollar Tree is my go-to!

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If you're running a business, it's great. You can buy in bulk and have your order shipped to the nearest store for free!

The large glass beer mugs make fantastic gifts for Father's Day (it's right around the corner, y'all!) if you create your own stencil and use etching cream. 

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Dollar tree also sells small glass cutting boards which can be personalized to sell or give as gifts. I've linked my favorites here: 

 

https://www.dollartree.com/Clear-Glass-Soup-Mugs-18-oz-/p321658/index.pro

https://www.dollartree.com/Brand-Name-Jumbo-Glass-Sports-Mugs-26-5-oz-/p412969/index.pro

https://www.dollartree.com/kitchen-dining/drinkware/Wine-Champagne-Glasses/526c527c1515/index.cat

https://www.dollartree.com/Cooking-Concepts-Round-Square-Glass-Cutting-Boards-7-frac34-/p319700/index.pro

 

Dollar Tree is filled with project ideas. The linked ideas are just a few of my favorites.

Another fantastic idea is creating personalized decorative plates from their ceramic plate line.

You can purchase plate holders at hobby lobby (don't forget to use a coupon!) and stick a family initial or holiday design on there as a fun and thoughtful gift.  

The possibilities are endless. 

NOTE: Many of  you know that there was a certain soup mug that used to be a huge seller for me when I was taking custom orders. I did purchase that mug at dollar tree, but unfortunately they have discontinued it. It's still my absolute fave, so I hope they bring it back!

Happy Crafting!

xo,

Chasity

Plant it and it Will Grow... (Sometimes)

Each year around summer time, I find myself thinking of the long, hot days we spent at my Granny's house.

I remember singing loudly into a hairbrush (while my sister sang backup), running through sprinklers on the front lawn, feeding apples to the horse I never rode... but what I think of most is her garden.

When I was small, the garden seemed massive.  I assumed this was the norm for everyone.  What I didn't realize was the effort that went into making that garden grow.  Unfortunately, I've never really had much of a green thumb, but I'm lucky to know a woman who does!  

My sister, Granny, and me on a family outing a few years ago.

My sister, Granny, and me on a family outing a few years ago.

A couple years ago I decided to try my hand at a vegetable garden so my kids could develop these same memories. I don't have the same patience, skill, or extra square footage to have the same thing Granny did, so I had my (very unhandy) husband build me some small garden boxes for the back yard.  I bought some seeds, I planted them, and to our surprise -- things grew.

Having a garden was really important to me not only for the memories, but also because...

...it's a Challenge.

If you're like me at all (and maybe you're not), you love a good challenge. Taking a tiny seed and turning it into food is a challenge I've grown to love.  Being successful feels nice, doesn't it?

...it's a Teachable Moment. 

If you have kids, I can promise you they will think your garden is magical. Let them help you pick what they want to grow and allow them to be a part of the entire experience from start to finish. It teaches them where food comes from, how to accept responsibility, and it encourages them to try new and healthy options in their diet. It's a family adventure that everyone can enjoy. 

...it can Save You Money.

I never dreamed we would grow enough vegetables to save us money, but our family goes through tons of veggies. The first year alone I could see how we were running to the grocery store less often. It's so fun to run into the back yard and pick out what's for dinner.

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I really assumed that the harvest my Gran had each year was easy to grow.

I was wrong.  

Luckily, Gran came to the rescue.  Before I give you some of her tips/hints, let me paint a picture of my Granny:

Even in her late 80's, Dorthene Daisy bikes a few miles each day, makes the best homemade cinnamon rolls you've ever tasted, and she mows her own yard... and that's probably all done before my husband's even out of bed. ;)

Her being available for every question I have is my most valuable resource.

SO -- are you ready to buy a sun hat and dig up your back yard yet?

Here's how you can get started: 

 

1. Dig it up.

Build some rustic boxes to fill with soil or borrow a tiller to turn over the ground. Garden boxes are a little easier, and I think they look nice too! You will have to fill them with fresh soil or buy some at your local hardware store. I also like to add coffee grounds, egg shells, and other compost materials to my soil daily. BUT before you add your soil, I reccommend putting down a layer of cardboard, plastic, or garden liner to help keep weeds out as best as you can.

You can also purchase premade garden boxes. If you're looking for something cost-effective that can be a quick fix, click here to check these out. The goal here is to make growing your own food EASY, CHEAP, and FUN. 

 

2. Pick what to grow. 

If you're looking for something easy, try these starter veggies:
Tomatoes any variety (My kiddos love the tiny grape ones)
Summer Squash
Cucumbers

Those are my favorite starter plants, but don't let that stop you from trying to plant other things. The worst thing that can happen is that they don't grow.

 

3.  Get to Growing!

In the end, plants need the basic things that we all learned in elementary school: sunlight and water. Keep your soil moist (yeah, I said it the "M" word...) and make sure your plants are placed where they'll soak up some  sunshine -- you'll be surprised what will grow! 

Make sure you put lables where you plant so that you can remember what's growing where.  This is really helpful when teaching your kids how certain vegetables develop -- it would be awkward to describe why your tomatoes look more like carrots in the end.

Get your kiddos involved!  My daughter loved getting her hands dirty and watering each day to see results.

Get your kiddos involved!  My daughter loved getting her hands dirty and watering each day to see results.

Now for the rough part... Here are some problems you might want to plan for:

BUGS.

Bugs like plants (Who knew?!), and they can ruin your harvest. So keep an eye out and take appropriate action. If you're having a specific bug issue take a photo and run to Lowe's, Home Depot, or your local nursery to ask for help. Chances are it's an easy fix. 

Pick regularly.

Once things start growing you have to pick them... That seems simple, but if you don't pick fast enough - they rot. Pick your veggies! Share with your sweet neighbors, family, and friends -- a little sharing goes a long way.

Weeds.

My least favorite part. Everyday when you go out to water check for weeds and pull them. 

 

...and that's pretty much it! 

This has been such a fun and rewarding experience for our family, and I hope you all enjoy the experience as much as we have! This will be my first year growing strawberries, so I'll be sure to report back.

If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. I'm no pro, but I'm happy to help however I can!

Happy Harvesting.

xo,

-Chasity